Happy birthday Food Matters Project!!! Hip hip Hooray to Kate and Sarah who got this all started, and to all of you guys, who let this project developing further, you all did great job :)
1 year anniversary recipe is Polenta Cakes with Garlicky Mushrooms, chosen by Sandra, you can see it here and all other variations here. This week I was super creative and I made my own Polenta layer cake with mushrooms, tomatoes and fresh basil filling. See the recipe below.
Polenta, by Pietro Longhi
Centuries – Old Italian dish Polenta
Polenta is a popular comfort food in Italy with more than a thousand years of history. It’s originated from Friuli an area of northeastern Italy and here Polenta, not pasta, is the traditional main staple and today is getting more and more a gourmet makeovers all over the world.
Polenta is made from corn meal. The key of the popularity of this dish is that it’s amazingly versatile. It can be served with nearly anything and that is why it has spread to every corner of Italy, always making use of what is locally grown or raised. It could be perfect for important occasions or every day meals. It could be as a first course, second course or a side dish, hot or cold, sweet or savory.
Read more interesting facts about Polenta strength, health benefits here:
· Bright eyes
· Peasant food has healthy rewards
Polenta Layer Cake
Ingredients
Polenta
3.5 cups water
150 g polenta or cornmeal flour
Filling
200 g button mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic gloves
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 carrot, grated
5 middle tomatoes
2- 3 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs nutritional yeast (optional) or grated cheese
Salt, pepper
Big bunch of fresh basil
Directions
Polenta
Bring the water and salt to the boil in a large pan; add the polenta and stir all the time to prevent lumps forming.
Simmer the mixture very gently on the low heat, stirring frequently, until the polenta becomes very thick, about 30 – 35 min. It is likely to splatter, in which case partially cover the pan with a lid.
Spread out polenta into a square pan, using a wet spatula. Allow to cool for a couple of h at the room temperature.
Filling
To make the filling, warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, carrot, and celery and continue to sauté until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add garlic and chopped tomatoes, cover with lid and sauté another 10 minutes. Then add nutritional yeast, 2 – 3 tbs tomato paste and big bunch of fresh chopped basil, mix, stir for a minute. Switch off the heat.
Cut the polenta into 7 – 8 cm squares.
Heat the oven to 200°C. Arrange half of the cake squares in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour half of the ready sauce over the squares and spread to cover. Cover with another layer of polenta; pour on top the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle cheese over the mushroom sauce. Bake until the polenta cake is heated through between 15 and 20 minutes. Let it stand for 10 minutes.
Serve with fresh basil on the top of the layer cake and rucola or any other salad of your taste on the side.
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